What is RAINBOWS?


RAINBOWS, a Registered Charity, was founded in America by Suzy Yehl Marta to help children who have been bereaved through parental death, parental separation or parental divorce, to work through the grieving process which follows any significant loss. Well over a million children and young people have taken part in RAINBOWS.

 

How does RAINBOWS help?


RAINBOWS helps by providing a safe setting in which children can talk through their feelings with other children who are experiencing similar situations. They are helped to articulate their feelings by an adult facilitator or listener.

RAINBOWS helps by providing materials, journals, story books, games and activities which form a structured programme to lead the children gently through the grieving process.


RAINBOWS helps by:

  • supporting the children to re-build their self esteem 
  • enabling the children to name, understand and come to terms with the many emotions they experience 
  • reassuring the children who have anxieties or feelings of guilt 
  • encouraging the children to move towards forgiving those people whom they feel have caused their pain.

 

How do you set up a RAINBOWS group?


RAINBOWS operate in a site. A site is a place where children gather – eg a school, a parish or church community, a youth club. If those responsible for that place, for example, governors and teachers, a parish priest or minister, or a youth leader, are interested a RAINBOWS director will come and talk to the staff about the organization and its programmes.

After this preliminary meeting adult facilitators are recruited and attend a training programme. Information and invitations are given to the children. The programme then runs.

 

Running RAINBOWS


Ideally, though not necessarily, RAINBOWS is run in the weeks before and after Christmas because for children who are grieving, Christmas can be an especially difficult time. The children often have a special need for support before and after Christmas. The programme is divided into two blocks of six weeks, each of which is concluded with a "Celebrate Me Day".

There are weekly meetings of the children with their facilitator. The facilitator needs to allow about an hour for this meeting, but the very young children (5- 7) spend only about half an hour working in the group, while older ones (8-11) spend about three quarters of an hour. The facilitators open themselves to hear what the children will share.


What about facilitators?

Facilitators are adults who care about the grief of children, who are able to listen to what children say and who are able to draw children out. Facilitators must be able to:

  • hear what children say without judgment or criticism, 
  • accept that they cannot solve the children's problems, put things right for them or take the pain away, 
  • listen to children's pain, which can be expressed in many ways such as anger, tears, withdrawal, and demands for attention.


Some important points

RAINBOWS is NOT a counselling or therapy programme – Such programmes require professional skills. A child showing severe symptoms of grieving should be referred for professional help. A child or young person who is receiving professional care WILL NOT be accepted to RAINBOWS without the consent of the person responsible for that care. RAINBOWS maintains confidentiality except if a child is at risk or in danger or it is disclosed that another child is at risk or in danger.

For further information, please contact:

RAINBOWS Registered Directors
Office for Education,Cathedral Centre, 3 Ford Street, Salford, M3 6DP 
Tel: 0161 817 2222

What makes RAINBOWS different?

  • International Outreach, with a 26 year track record of providing grief support services and programmes.
  • Cost effective, volunteer driven delivery with no fee to providers and no cost to youth participants.
  • Endorsed by educational and religious organizations, as well as many of the caring professions.
  • RAINBOWS backs all of its volunteers with liability insurance covering training and curricula delivery. 
  • Quality control through site management and curriculum evaluation. 
  • Service includes extensive training, both local and national site support and full support of the Resource Centre. 
  • Curriculum tailored to age and loss circumstances of the participant.

 

Ideas for Site Funding


The following may be found to be useful in making a contribution to the setting up of a site:

  • Standard Fund 
  • Parish Funds 
  • Governors 
  • Rotary Club 
  • Lions 
  • Independent Funeral Directors 
  • Local Businesses 
  • School Fund Raisers 
  • S.R.B. (Single Regeneration Budget) 
  • Healthy Schools Initiative/Health Action Zone 
  • Early Years Childcare Funding 
  • Sure Start 
  • Local High Street Banks 
  • Excellence in Cities Initiative 
  • Education Action Zone